Where did the Irish Butler family come from? What is the Irish Butler family crest and coat of arms? When did the Butler family first arrive in the United States? Where did the various branches of the family go? What is the Butler family history?

The Butler surname came to Ireland with the Anglo- Norman invasion of the 12th century, led by the forces of Strongbow. The surname came from a common occupational name for a wine steward or the chief servant of a medieval household. In royal households, the title denoted a high-ranking officer whose duties as a wine steward were merely nominal. Occupational surnames, such as Butler were much quite common to the Anglo-Norman culture, and virtually unknown in Gaelic Irish. The prefix le, meaning the, in French was often used by the early Strongbownians to link a person's first and name and surname. Eventually these prefixes were dropped or became fused onto the beginning of the surname. The surname Butler is derived from Anglo-French "butuiller," which comes from the Old French word "bouteillier." These words are ultimately derived from the Latin words "buticularius," and "buticula," which mean "bottle." The Gaelic form of the surname Butler is de Buitléir.

A single person's name was often spelt simply as it sounded by medieval scribes and church officials. An investigation into the specific origins the name Butler has revealed that such a practice has resulted in many spelling variations over the years. A few of its variants include: Butler, Buttler, McRichard and others.

First found in the ancient territory of Ormond (now parts of County Kilkenny, Wexford and north Tipperary). The first on record was Theobald FitzWalter, a distinguished Norman noble who accompanied Strongbow and was created the Chief Butler of Ireland in 1177. His descendents began to use the surname around the year 1220. His direct descendant became Earl of Ormond in 1328 and their stronghold was Kilkenny castle. The family were rivals of the powerful Fitzgeralds and their kin, and the effective government of Ireland was held by one or the other of these two great Norman houses until the death of the Great Duke of Ormond in 1688. Many members of the family were ardent Jacobites, including the Abbé James Butler of Nantes, who was chaplain to "Bonnie Prince Charlie" during the last Jacobite uprising of 1745.

Ireland went through one of the most devastating periods in its history with the arrival of the Great Potato Famine of the 1840s. Many also lost their lives from typhus, fever and dysentery. And poverty was the general rule as tenant farmers were often evicted because they could not pay the high rents. Emigration to North America gave hundreds of families a chance at a life where work, freedom, and land ownership were all possible. For those who made the long journey, it meant hope and survival. The Irish emigration to British North America and the United States opened up the gates of industry, commerce, education and the arts. Early immigration and passenger lists have shown many Irish people bearing the name Butler:

Butler Settlers in Canada in the 18th Century

Mr. Ephraim Butler U.E (b. 1752) born in Branford, New Haven County, Connecticut, USA settled at the top of the Kingston Peninsula [Kingston], Butler's Lake, New Brunswick c. 1783 he enlisted in 1778 served in the 3rd battalion, DeLancey's Brigade in the company of Captain Elijah Miles under Lt. Smith

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Our PDF Coat of Arms + Extended History product is the whole package all in one. With a full color Coat of Arms along with a very detailed History, full symbolism, bibliography and settlers listed by the centuries.

Skordas, Guest. Ed. The Early Settlers of Maryland an Index to Names or Immigrants Complied from Records of Land Patents 1633-1680 in the Hall of Records Annapolis, Maryland. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Co., 1992. Print.

Leyburn, James Graham. The Scotch-Irish A Social History. Chapel Hill: UNC Press, 1962. Print. (ISBN 0807842591).

Shaw, William A. Knights of England A Complete Record from the Earliest Time to the Present Day of the Knights of all the Orders of Chivalry in England, Scotland, Ireland and Knights Bachelors 2 Volumes. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing. Print. (ISBN 080630443X).

The Butler Family Crest was acquired from the Houseofnames.com archives. The Butler Family Crest was drawn according to heraldic standards based on published blazons. We generally include the oldest published family crest once associated with each surname.